Yankees sign Ramon Ortiz to fill AAA rotation

With David Phelps landing a job as the longman out of the Yankees bullpen, they need somebody to fill his rotation spot in Triple-A. Enter Ramon Ortiz. The Yankees signed the 39-year-old Ortiz, who pitched with the Cubs last season, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Ortiz isn’t much, but probably won’t crack the Yankees roster this season and there are a lot worse options if they were forced to use him in an emergency. I wonder if he knows that the Yankees Triple-A team, the Empire State Yankees, are perpetually on the road. If he does, it’s kind of surprising a veteran like him would be up for that many bus rides.

Ortiz has a career 4.93 ERA in 11 major league seasons. He appeared in 22 games for the Cubs last season and had a 4.86 ERA, a 6.8 K/9, and a 3.0 BB/9.